Skip to content
ShareYourPets

Hokkaido

The Hokkaido, or Ainu-ken, is one of Japan's six native spitz breeds and among the oldest, brought to Hokkaido by the ancestors of the Ainu people over a thousand years ago.

It was used to hunt bear, which says most of what needs saying about its courage.

It stands 46 to 52 centimetres, weighs 20 to 30 kilograms and lives eleven to thirteen years, with a thick double coat and often a spotted blue-black tongue. It is a designated Natural Monument in Japan and is rare outside it. Temperament is loyal, brave and notably tough, with the independence common to primitive spitz breeds and a strong prey drive.

Origin
Hokkaido, Japan; an Ainu hunting spitz, a Natural Monument
Size
46–52 cm; 20–30 kg
Lifespan
11–13 years
Coat
Thick double coat; heavy seasonal moult
Temperament
Loyal, brave and independent; strong prey drive
Health
Collie eye anomaly occurs in the breed; generally robust

Related: Collie

2 hokkaido photos of 1 dog, newest first

Hokkaido feed
  • Waffles, a hokkaido

    Waffles

    Waffles was promoted to ambitious roadside lemonade vendor; unfortunately, a single enormous sock appears without explanation.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

Living with a hokkaido

Ask about collie eye anomaly, which is reported in this breed despite its lack of collie ancestry, and is testable.

Socialise early and broadly. Primitive spitz breeds are naturally wary, and that becomes fearfulness or reactivity without work in the first months.

They are independent and not obedience-oriented; training works through motivation and relationship rather than repetition.

The prey drive is strong and recall around wildlife is unreliable. Secure fencing.

They are hardy and generally healthy. The double coat moults heavily twice a year — brush weekly, daily through it — and never shave it.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

Worth reading alongside this

More dogs by breed

Every dog breed somebody has posted a photo of.